Boston Mayor will include money for legal defense fund for immigrants in city’s budget

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he’ll include money to help immigrants facing legal challenges in next fiscal year’s budget.

If approved by the City Council, $50,000 of the city’s budget will go towards the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund.

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The fund is a public-private partnership and finder that provides legal representation for immigrants facing deportation, and educates the immigrant community about their legal rights, with programs such as “Know Your Rights” training. Its goal is to strengthen the city’s “capacity to protect and defend its many immigrant communities, refugees, and temporary status holders, by increasing education and access to legal services.”

Home to over 800,000 immigrant and refugee residents, Greater Boston includes an estimated 180,000 individuals who have no immigration status, and who might be in danger of being deported. “Collectively, they contribute to the economic vitality and vibrant cultural fabric of our communities,” according to the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.

According to the Boston Globe, Walsh launched the fund as a pilot program in 2017, after then-city councilor Tito Jackson proposed the idea while running to take Walsh’s seat in the mayoral election. Walsh won reelection in a landslide, with a two-to-one margin victory.